I actually thought I was a freak when in mid-2007 my hair started falling out. I thought to myself, “This only happens to men! I must be a hermaphrodite or something :(” … and then later that year it happened! I found out that two of my co-workers in the company I worked at the time were experiencing the same thing 😮
I kept my bald patch a secret for a year and finally shaved my head shortly before Christmas just a while after my colleagues had done the same 🙂
Along with the two ladies having the same issue, I got lots of psychological and emotional support from family, friends and other colleagues. For one thing, I worked for a South African company at the time, and so a bald headed black woman wasn’t such a big deal. People only thought I was South African (Lol!) and when I said I wasn’t, they would commented on how the look suited me :), but that wasn’t always the case. Not everyone is comfy around a completely bald woman 😀
Coming out with the truth about my condition filled me with a MAJOR sense of relief. However, that didn’t stop the me from feeling less of a woman… My hair was gone and with it went my self-esteem …or so I thought. 😐
There were days when I cried bitterly, and others when I JUST HATED OTHER LADIES. I missed being able to put extensions in my hair TERRIBLY!, and the almost Asian look I had each time I packed my hair back into a tight ponytail.
In my search for answers about my condition, I did a lot of online research and by that I came across videos on Youtube.com of women like myself and sadly, even little girls who had summoned up the courage to voice-out about their condition. This REALLY encouraged me.
One particular link I subscribed to shortly after is Alopeciaworld’s Channel. They’ve got awesome stories on girls and women alike. Some with even happy endings 😀
Here’s one of them :):
Once in a while I go to this site and others alike, and I find strength in the different stories… I would encourage you to do the same. 🙂
Stay strong Sister! 😉 🙂
Without Hair Chronicles 